Tack-supplying mechanism.



A. LATHAM. TACK SUPPLYI NG MECHANISM AFPLICATIDN HLEU JUNE 21. 1915.

Iafentd Apr. 24,1917.

[UNITED STATES PATENT onnros.

mnn'r Lamina, or BEVERLY, massacnosn'r'rs, ASSIGNOB 'ro Umrnn snon monnmnv comm, or rarnnson, NEW JERSEY, A conrom'rron on NEW JERSEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

rack-surname mncmmsn.

Patented Apr. 24, 1917.

Application filed June 21, 1915. Serial No. 35,838.

' ToaZZwlwmitmaycomm:

Be it known that I, ALBERT Lemur, a citizen of the United States, residing at Beverly, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Tack-Supplying Mechanisms, of which-the following description, in connection with the accom anying drawings, is

' a specification, like re erence characters on the drawings indicatinglike parts in the several figures. This invention relates to tack supplying mechanisms and is herein shown as embodied in the 'tack supplying mechanism of a p'ullin -over machine similar to that show in nitedStates Letters Patent No.

1,02 ,387, granted June-11, 1912 upon ap plication oftBonald F. McFeely.

1 The object of the invention is to enable the mechanism to clear itself automatically of tacks misplaced in certain relations, and

'a featured the invention consists in the combination of a tack raceway and a delivery plate which overlapsthe raceway end and 1s movable to permit the passage of misplaced tacks between it and the raceway. Y

The invention willbe more fully understood from the following description with i the aid of the accompanying drawin s of an illustrative embodiment, and will e particularly pointed out at the end of the specifi'cation. v v

Figure 1 of the drawings is a vertical section through portions of the machine shown in Fig. 3 of said prior patent, and illustrates this invention in a form in'which I have employed it;v x

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the movably mounted distributer plate ofthe illustrated tack supplying mechanism; and

Fig. 3 shows the parts in action.

In the machine illustrated in these drawings there is a rocking hopper 2 into which loose tacks are deposited in bulk and by the movements of which hopper the tacks are lifted to a point above an inclined plate 4 upon 1 which they are dropped and over which they slide down to the channel grooves of inclined raceways 5 in which more or less of the tacks become suspended by'their heads and 'then gravitate downwardly toward the discharge ends of the wardly moving tacks, the surface walls of the grooves being located at a proper di tance above the raceways to prevent the tacks from lifting or riding upwardly upon one another and consequently becoming cramped or entangled together after being properl in place under the covers. In order to eep the tacks from clogging at the hopper ends of said covers and in the channel grooves above the covers a clearer mechanism is employed comprising a rotary carrier 8 in which tack clearers 10 are mounted to slide endwise by gravity as the carrier is turned and to ride over the ends of the raceway coversand then up a short distance along the uncovered portions of the race clearers from the raceways whereupon the tacks in the lines are allowed to gravitate loosely down the raceways and those which are properly suspended pass under the covers. hen the lines of tacks are pushed upwardly along the hopper ends of the raceways the tacks nearest to the distributing plate are pushed under the overlapping lower edge of the plate. The upper ends of the raceways are left open so that any tacks crowded up to the end can pass out and fall back into the hopper. Tacks lying upon one another sometimes get wedged under the lower edge of the distributing plate and clog the raceways so as to prevent proper movement of a line of tacks upwardly by the clearers and proper delivery of tacks from the plate to the, raceway. The distributing plate is therefore, in accordance with the illustrated embodiment of this invention, inovably mounted by an arm 11 which extends downwardly and backwardly .and is pivoted to a fixed support 12, the tail crowds under it tacks that are lying upon one another. The successive movements of the clearer force the misplaced tacks up- A spring 14 holds the plate down v wardly and finally out through the upper end of the raceway so that the mechanism frees itself automatically of such tacks. The distributing plate is formed on its lower face to present a narrow edge to the raceway so that tacks piled upon one'another will pass back of said edge by traveling only a short distance. When they get back of said edge there is space enough provided, by reason of the lower face of the plate being cut away at 16 as shown in Fig. 1, so that disarranged tacks will not/hold the plate up.

Having explained the nature of the in vention and fully'described one embodiment of it, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of tl'le'pllnited States 1.. In a tack supplying mechanism, an inclined raceway, a plate overlapping the upper end of the raceway and adapted to deliver tacks to the raceway, and a tack clearer operating to move the line of tacks upwardly in the raceway and then allow them to slide down the raceway, said plate being movable away from the overlapped end of the raceway to allow the tacks in the upper portion of the line to pass between it and the top face of the raceway in response to the action of the clearer.

2. In a tack supplying mechanism, an iii-- clined raceway, a plate adapted to deliver tacks to the raceway, said plate overlapping the upper end of the raceway and being: pivotally mounted, and means for yielcingly holding the plate in adjusted relation of proximity to the overlapped portion of the raceway. I

3. In a tack supplying mechanism, an inclined raceway, a plate adapted to deliver tacks to the raceway, and a tack clearer operating to move the line of tacks upwardly in the 1{lC8\ my and then allow them to slide down the raceway, said plate overlapping the upper end of the raceway and being cut away on its lower face where it overlaps the raceway to present a narrow edge which is {located in proximity to the raceway and under which Lacks in the line of tacks may be moved by the clearer.

4-. 111 a. tack supplying mechanism, the Y combination with a tack hopper and tack raceways, of a tack distributing plate overlapping the raceways and pivotally sup ported below the raceways, a spring arranged to tip the plate toward the raeeways, and an adjustable step to limit such move ment.

5. In a tack supplying mechanism, a hopper, a raceway, and a plate to receive tacks from the hopper and deliver them to the raceway, said plate overlapping the upper end of the raceway and movable during the operation of the machine from and toward the top face of the raceway to prevent clogging of lacks in the raceway under the overlapping portion of said plate.

6. In a tack supplying mechanism, a hop; per, a raceway, and a plate to receive tacks from the hopper and deliver them to the raceway, said plate being pivotally supported below the raceway for movement from and toward the upper end portion .01 the raceway.

7. In a tack supplying mechanism, a hopper, an inclined raceway, a plate to-receive tacks from the hoppe and deliver them to the raceway. and a tack clearer operating upwardly along the raceway to move the tacks in the raceway, said receiving plate being arranged for movement for the purpose described by force imparted by the clearer.

i 8. In a tack supplying mechanism, a hopper, a raceway, and a plate to receive tacks from the hopper and deliver them to the raceway, said plate overlapping the upper end of the raceway, and said plate and racewaybeing relatively movable during the operation of the machine without attention from the operator to separate the plate and ALBERT LATHAM.

Correction in Letters Patent bio-1,223,401.

It is hergby certified that in Letters PUJAJHL No. I,3;3.';,-1U1, grnntm! April 24 1917,

upon the application (If Alhvrl lmtlmm, of Bvw-rly, Massachusetts, for mi improvement in Tack-%nppl viug Mechanisms," nll error appears in the printed specification requiring rurrmztiun as follows: Page 1, Htlikt! out, line 73 mid insert the w d way t push upwardly tlulims 1" tucks; and that. the said Lot/tum Patent should be mad with this correctiun therein thatthe same may ('unform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflico.

Signed and sealed this 31st dnypf July, A. 1)., 1917.

I. \V. H. CLAY,

Arting Commissimwr f Patents. 

